US leads 26 strikes against Islamic State militants

Prime Minister David Cameron

PHOTO: Reuters

WASHINGTON - The United States and its allies staged 26 strikes against Islamic State on Thursday, including one in the Syrian city of Raqqa that hit one of the militant group's tactical units, the US military said in a statement.

The Combined Joint Task Force gave no other details about the strike in Raqqa, an Islamic State stronghold in northeast Syria. US officials have said an air strike there had targeted and likely killed the British Islamic State leader known as "Jihadi John," who has appeared in videos depicting the killings of British and American hostages.

Seven other strikes hit near Al Hawl in Syria, striking six other militant tactical units, the task force said in a statement on Friday.

In Iraq, 18 strikes hit near six cities, including near Sinjar, where the United States is backing up a Kurdish offensive against Islamic State. Twelve strikes there hit five tactical units and 27 fighting positions, among other targets, the statement said.